Personal Goals for 2010

I know it is already February, but I wanted to post my goals for 2010.

Most of my goals for this year are to re-establish habits and disciplines in my life that have been sorely neglected in the stress of our transition to Scotland. Looking back, the move might have been less stressful if I had better maintained these habits, but in the chaos I let them go. 20/20 hind sight... maybe I will actually learn from this mistake.

So here are my goals for 2010:

• intensely guard my daily time with God - I have allowed life to interrupt this quiet time too often lately. God is calling me back to quiet waters. I need to be vigilant about my time in his presence
  


• regular health routine - This goal is really my catch-all for the numerous areas that contribute to my physical health and energy level. Exercising at least three times a week. Eating better. Sleeping better (as much as a mother with two little kids really can).


• read 25 books - With kids, it has become increasingly difficult to set aside reading time, but this is an important way for me to feel like more than just a mother. Last year I only read 12 books (besides that myriad of children's books I read every day).

I hope to check in every month or two and post about any progress I make toward these goals.

Happy New Year!

Menu Plan Monday

Can it be Monday already? This has been a hard week for our family. My two-year-old has been running a scary high fever for days and no one seems to know what is causing it. All we can do is treat the fever and wait for new symptoms to reveal what this is, or for her to feel better. I'm hoping for the latter.

I have some food related posts floating around in my head, but no time to get them "down on paper." Hopefully this week will be a little less stressful.

Menu for this week:

• Monday -- Crock Pot Rotisserie Style Chicken
  

• Tuesday -- Chinese Chicken & Cabbage

• Wednesday -- Red Thai Curry

• Thursday -- Chicken Enchiladas

• Friday -- Bee Rocks with veggies or salad - This new recipe is a roll over from last week.
  

• Saturday -- Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
  


• Sunday -- Beef Roast in crock pot
  

Check out more menu plan's at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

Menu Plan Monday

Yes, another week has passed and I have still not managed to post anything but the weekly menu. After being away for a month, I am finding it very challenging to start posting again. But slowly I am beginning to think "I could post about that" during my daily life, so that must be a good sign. Maybe this week I will find my muse.

Until then, the family must eat, so I will create a meal plan to being peace and food to my household. On the topic of food, we loved the Refried Beans from last week. I messed with the recipe a little and have a few more tweaks that I'd like to try, but this is one of our new favorites. I'll have to post my version of this recipe soon.

Menu for this week:

• Monday -- Crock Pot Rotisserie Style Chicken
  

• Tuesday -- Chili and Cornbread - rolled over from last week. I never got this made. I can hardly wait to make the cornbread.
  

• Wednesday -- Chicken Lentil Soup
  

• Thursday -- Macaroni Beef

• Friday -- Bee Rocks with veggies or salad - I just found this recipe this week and wanted to try it.
  

• Saturday -- Red Thai Curry
  


• Sunday -- Sausage and Mushroom Pasta
  

Check out more menu plan's at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

Menu Plan Monday

This is the first time in my married life that we really don't have the option of eating out or just grabbing a bite somewhere. First, we don't have the money in our budget right now. Second, we don't have a car to go grab something. Third, there is nothing "fast" near us.

I have to come to terms with the fact that I have to cook every night. I find I'm not very excited about this idea. Menu planning is so important in our current life situation where we no longer have access to the convenience of grabbing a burger (or more often, a sub sandwich) or stopping by the store on the way home from work. Everything has to be planned and food has to be prepared every night.

I also am struggling with energy right now. By the time dinner time rolls around, I have no desire to make anything. But I am learning that if I plan ahead we all survive the evenings a little better. If I prep for dinner in the morning when I have a little more energy, or throw something in the crock pot, we get a nice dinner and I have very little work required in the tired evening hours.

Menu for this week:

• Monday -- Chicken Enchiladas
  

• Tuesday -- Jacket Potatoes with cheese and broccoli

• Wednesday -- Crock Pot Rotisserie Style Chicken - this has become one of my husband's favorites; he also loves having leftover chicken for great wraps or sandwiches the next day.

• Thursday -- Refried Bean and Beef Burritos - this will be my first time trying this refried bean recipe. I hope the family likes it ... refried beans are really expensive here.

• Friday -- Beef Roast with oven roasted potatoes
  

• Saturday -- Chicken Lentil Soup
  


• Sunday -- Chili and Cornbread - I am excited about having corn bread again. A friend here told me where I could find something resembling "corn meal" (as we call it in the States); it should make good corn bread.

Check out more menu plan's at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

Back online ...

Due to circumstances completely out of our control, we were without internet connectivity for almost three weeks over the holidays. Sorry, no posts or updates on the blog!

Well, we are back online and I have too many posts to catch up on. You will have to be patient as I work to get back into the swing of blogging.

Hope you all had a happy Christmas and wonderful Hogmanay (the Scots word for the last day of the year).

Peace on Earth!

Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will toward men.

Luke 2:14

Peace on earth seems to be an elusive thing. There are wars fought around the world. Terrorism. Conflict with our neighbors and co-workers. This world is a far cry from peace.

Yet at the birth of Christ, before he had done anything, God declared "Peace on earth." The entrance of the God-Man Jesus Christ into our sinful, war-ridden world altered our existence forever. Believe it or not, there is now peace on earth.

As with so many of God's statements, there is part of this that is for us here and now, and there is part of this that is yet to come. We will see a day when we will "beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks," but that peace is coming somewhere in the future.

Today I am pondering the part of this "peace on earth" that we currently have. After the surprising entrance onto the scene of Immanuel, God with us, we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1) God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. (2 Cor 5:19)

Where we were once enemies with God, separated from his grace and love, we are now brought back into relationship with him. And he has called us to declare a message of peace, of reconciliation -- with himself, with each other, with the whole of creation.

Although we may not see this fulfilled in its entirety in our lifetime, still we have this promise: "Peace on earth, good will to men."

--
This is a reprint of my post from the Christmas season last year.

Menu Plan Monday

We are ready to celebrate this week leading up to Christmas. We have no family coming, and we are not traveling, so things are pretty quiet for us this year.

We are planning a special breakfast for Christmas morning: Stuffed Scrambled Eggs (my hubby is not fond of omelets, but loves scrabbled eggs with mushrooms, onions, and cheese), Scottish Sausage, Hash Browns and Muffins (English Muffins, as we call them in the states. I guess they don't feel it necessary to put the "English" in the title).

And I am going to try some new recipes: Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins, Cinnamon Carrot Bread, Sugar Cookies.


Now to our menu for this week...

Menu for this week:

• Monday -- Beef Enchiladas
  


• Tuesday -- Chinese Chicken & Cabbage


• Wednesday -- Macaroni Beef


• Thursday -- Chicken Tortilla Soup


• Friday -- Dinner with Friends


• Saturday -- Homemade Pizza


• Sunday -- Jacket Potatoes with broccoli and cheese
  

Check out more menu plan's at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday! And Merry Christmas!